The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-05-21
LUCY IN A BARREL,

am ashamed to say that little Lucy
wanted to run away. Why it is that tiny
folks, of two and three and four years
old, should be SO fond of stealing off and
giving their friends such frights about
them, I'm sure don't know.
Lucy was only three; but her head was
SO full of funny notions that, il you miss
ed her for a moment, you always fancied
she had fallen into mischief.
One fine, bright day in October, Mrs.
Lockwood, Lucy's mother, went into the
garden with caller, to give her hand
full of the beautiful marigolds. Lucy
was in the back parlor, undressing her
dolly, Miss Fanny Fling, and putting
her in bed; for Fanny had high fever.
Mrs. Lockwood was not one from the
room five minutes, but it was time enough
for Lucy to dart away like humming-
bird; and what do you think she did?
I'm going to d'ess up and go acall-
ing," said she.
1t was her idea of blessing up" to put
thing. And Hannah, the house maid,
had pin she greatly admired. 1t was a
very large one, with picture on it of
yellow house and green trees and red
roses. She went into Hannah's room and
found the pin, and put it in the neck of
her dress, managing to fasten it so that
it did not fall off. Then she ran in great
haste to mammals closet, climbed to the
high shelf, and took down the bandbox
which held her mammals last winters
bonnet "a dark green velvet, with long,
green, curling feather. She put this on
her little naughty head, and over the
bonnet large blue veil; and then she
was ready to go calling.
But by that time mamma was coming
back to the house; and Lucy knew she
would be saying, Hannah, have you
seen the baby?" So she slipped out by
the side door, and ran to the stable.
Now there was cart in the stable full
of empty barrels. And, as Lucy heard
grandpas step in the yard, she thought
she would climb into one of the barrels
and hide. She went in head fret, alas
for mammals pretty bonnetl And, as the
blue veil was very large indeed, she drew
it over her, covering her little self all up.
There she was, that droll snip of Lucy,
at the bottom of barrel. Who would
think of looking for her there? And in
two minutes she was fast asleep.
Well, this is not all of it. The barrels
had been put in the cart by grandpa, who
intended to drive the cart to Uncle Ben's;
and Uncle Ben had promised that his
boys should fill the barrels with choice
apples from the orchard. It was now
time for grandpa to start. He came out
to the stable, and harnessed the gray
horse to the cart, and drove away; and
Lucy was having ride and knew moth
ing about it, She had not wakened even
when grandpa threw an empty meal bag
right into the barrel where she lay.
sob, huml' said grandpa, talking to
himself. "Oh, hum Ten barrelsl shan't
get home much before night"
Pretty soon, they came to a rough old
bridge made OF logs; and the cart jolted,
and the barrels ratified, and Lucy woke
up and began to cry.
whats that noise?" said grandpa to
himself. "Oh, hum it's lamb got
strayed away in the field, 1 suppose"
cts me! it's mel cried Lucy, trying
in vain to get out Of the high barrel.
But grandpa was deaf, and did not
know she spoke.
81 think it's likely that's little calf
a. bleating," said grandpa, looking right
and left, but not behind him. "Oh, huml
wonder whose calf has got lost? l
can't see anything that looks like calf"
1t was a quiet country road, and they
had not met a single soul.
Its me, grandpa it's me en- walled
poor Lucy. "Take me on ont, gampar'
But it was Of no use. The more she
cried and called, the more grandpa said,
"Oh, hump and looked to right and left,
but never once looked behind him. IL
was not till they reached Uncle Ben's
dooryard that the little one could make
her words understood.
"Unky Benz Unky Benz Take Lucyr
she sobbed.
And Uncle Ben went straight to the
barrel and lifted her out. But the way
grandpa stared, and the way Uncle Ben
laughed Uncle Ben had her in his arms